Punta Cana to La Romana and Bayahibe: The Short Bus Route

Why almost nobody does this route by bus

La Romana and Bayahibe are the most common day trip from Punta Cana, thanks to Saona Island and Casa de Campo, and yet the journey is almost always made on an organised excursion or a private transfer, which we estimate at 100 to 140 USD per vehicle. The reason is simple: the Autopista del Coral was built with cars in mind, the resorts sell the transfer at the lobby and no coach operator markets the route as a line of its own. That does not mean there is no way to do it by public transport, it means you have to combine legs and accept some uncertainty. We cover it because, at roughly 100 km and under 2 hours, it is the short route of the east of the country.

Option 1: local guaguas via Higuey

The way most locals do it is in two legs. First a local guagua from Bávaro to Higuey, the provincial capital, which usually takes around 1 hour. Then another guagua from Higuey to La Romana, roughly 1 hour more. Each leg is paid in cash and leaves when the vehicle fills up rather than at a fixed time. These are minibuses with no guaranteed air conditioning and no room designed for large suitcases, so it works with light luggage. Ask at your hotel where the Higuey guagua stops that day: stops are on the street and they change. It is the cheapest option and the one that asks for the most patience.

Option 2: the Punta Cana to Santo Domingo bus, getting off at La Romana

Two separate companies run the Punta Cana to Santo Domingo corridor, Expreso Bávaro and Expreso Punta Cana, and their highway passes right by La Romana. They are coaches with air conditioning and a luggage hold, more comfortable than the local guagua. What we have not confirmed is whether they let passengers off at La Romana or what they charge for that leg. Ask when you buy the ticket and do not assume the answer is yes. Expreso Bávaro asks on its website for you to be there an hour before departure and does not publish a timetable.

Continuing from La Romana to Bayahibe

Bayahibe is about 20 minutes from La Romana by taxi or local guagua, which leaves from the town centre. If you arrive by guagua from Higuey, it drops you at a stop in the centre, and from there you take the taxi or guagua to Bayahibe. La Romana airport (LRM), heavily used by charter flights and cruises, is about 15 minutes from the centre and a little over 20 from Bayahibe. Bear in mind that boats to Saona Island leave Bayahibe in the morning: if Saona is the plan, sleep in Bayahibe the night before.

When the bus makes sense and when a private transfer does

The bus pays off if you travel light, with no fixed arrival time and a wish to see the country from the inside: for little money you cross the province. A private transfer pays off for groups of 4 or more, with large suitcases, or with a boat, cruise or flight at a set time. We also handle this combination, in two legs via Higuey, with assisted booking from 25 USD per person, with secure payment when you book and a full refund if we cannot get your ticket. We reply by WhatsApp or email. We are an independent intermediary with no commercial agreement with the operators.